Russell Doane Faces Mirsad Bektic on Short Notice at UFC 204 in Manchester

Russell Doane has agreed to fight Mirsad Bektic on less than one week’s notice at UFC 204.

The Las Vegas-based promotion confirmed the new featherweight pairing on Tuesday. UFC 204 takes place on Saturday at Manchester Arena in Manchester and is headlined by a middleweight title showdown between Michael Bisping and Dan Henderson. Bektic-Doane will be the opening bout of the pay-per-view portion of the card.

Doane is Bektic’s third proposed opponent for the event. Arnold Allen withdrew from the contest last week and was replace by Jeremy Kennedy. However, Kennedy pulled out of the contest within a day.

Doane, who normally competes at bantamweight, has lost three straight in the Octagon. The Hawaiian last appeared at UFC Fight Night “Dos Anjos vs. Alvarez,” where he suffered a first-round submission loss to Pedro Munhoz.

Bektic, 25, is unbeaten in 10 professional outings, including three in the UFC. Most recently, the American Top Team product stopped Lucas Martins 30 seconds into the second frame at UFC Fight Night “Condit vs. Alves” in May 2015.